"How?" we all chorused.
"It's not simple, nor can it be done in a short amount of time. I believe I am right, but I don't believe that it is possible to spread the power to every hecapsycheir. Unfortunately, the few hecapsycheires on the list that can be given the power do not include the Elders. Fortunately, the list does includes the five of you," he said, turning to our friends.
"Irvin, you're stalling. How do we give Gina, Aurelia, Izumi, Tamara, and Vesta the power?" Demetrio asked.
"I believe there are several requirements that would also limit the number of hecapsycheires we could give the power to. The first requirement is that Vadrak cannot be monitoring the transfer of the power which is the main reason that the Elders are out because Vadrak is constantly monitoring them. I am almost positive that Vadrak and his Heinous Knights have not found us because if they had, they would probably have already captured us.
"The second requirement is that the two hecapsycheires must share the same element. That won't be a problem in our case, as long as there is a strong enough bond between each of us. I know that I love all of you, but the only bond that is important is the one between Izumi and me because we're both water hecapsycheires.
"The third part is a strong bond between the two hecapsycheires. I think the bond between us is quite strong. We owe each other our lives and have been through many battles together. In one way or another, I know that I love all of you, and I think that you can say the same about everyone else.
"The fourth requirement is a strong hate against the one we're opposing. The five of you that are receiving must have your own reasons to loathe Vadrak. As I have heard, you were all very close to Jafar, Rohan, Vasuman, Bhudev, and Kanak. If the bond was close enough between the ten of you, then that is your reason to detest Vadrak."
"But it was Troy that had them killed," Vesta protested.
"No, it wasn't. Didn't you listen to him?" Irvin asked.
"He found them and gave them to Vadrak."
"Exactly. Troy would not have killed them. Vadrak was the one who pulled the trigger. Troy was only the police officer who had to bring them in. I believe you were close to Jafar, Rohan, Vasuman, Bhudev, and Kanak. Their deaths were the fault of Vadrak. I need you to believe it because if you don't, then we can't give you the powers. You need to be able to blame Vadrak in one way or another. Our parents were killed by Vadrak's Heinous Knights. Your friends were killed by Vadrak, maybe not directly, but he is the root to all of these deaths."
"Okay, I'll do my best," Vesta said.
"What is the fifth requirement?" Demetrio asked.
"The fifth requirement is simple. We each need to be in our element to perform the transfer. I believe that there are several words that need to be said in order for this to work. I can write them down, but they, too, are simple. The words include our full names, for example, my full name for this spell is Irvin son of Sergius, Wielder of Water."
"Could you write down the words that need to be said and what needs to be done so that we can take it with us when we transfer the power?" Hearst requested.
"Yes, I will. I think that we will know if it worked or not. Izumi, Tamara, Vesta, Gina, and Aurelia should feel it even if my brothers and I do not," Irvin said.
"What will we feel?" Gina asked.
"You should feel stronger in a way. Like your spirit to fight Vadrak has been renewed, perhaps a sense of vivification," Irvin replied.
"Where will we perform the transfer?" Timur asked. "Will we have to return to the land of our element?"
"I don't think that will be necessary," Irvin replied. "I think that it needs to be done on the hecapsycheir level. Perhaps if you find an empty building used for relaxing. That should work, but no one else can be around."
"Wait, the building 'used for relaxing,' are you talking about the hecapsycheir equivalent of a sauna?" Hearst asked.
"Pull your head out of the human world," Demetrio growled. "You know perfectly well it's called a power house."
"Demetrio," Irvin started, "our term 'power house' comes from the human word 'bathhouse' which is also called a sauna. Just like the term 'hecapsycheir' came from a human, part of our culture comes from them."
"But we are all older than humans. Our species existed before the Big Bang," Demetrio argued. "Irvin, why didn't you call it a power house instead of 'building used for relaxing'?"
"Enough," I said. "The important thing now is to give Vesta, Gina, Aurelia, Izumi, and Tamara the power."
"I agree. We need to split up again so that we can transfer the power. Rendezvous back here once the five of you have the power," Irvin said, and he nodded to our friends. "We should all leave at different times and all come back here at different times. If you see one or two of us in the park, let them go first and walk around without entering this house until at least fifteen minutes after they have entered."
Irvin quickly wrote down what we needed to do and handed a copy to each of us. We all said quick good-byes and left two by two. Vesta and I teleported into the fire section of the hecapsycheir level, which is split into six different sections apart from the lands for each element, one section for each element and one section for all the elements together.
When Vesta and I landed in the fire section, we immediately began looking for a power house. It wasn't hard to find. I had visited the hecapsycheir level several times and knew what to look for. There happened to be an empty one, and the two of us entered. I took out the note Irvin had written listing what we needed to do.
Concentrate on the bond between the two of you, everything that you've been through together. Think of the hateful and loathing feelings you share against Vadrak. He killed your relatives, friends, those who matter most to you. Think about it all and as you do, say the following words:
I, ____ son of Sergius, Wielder of ____, do hereby give the power to resist Mark Navik Giad, son of Henry to _____ daughter of ____, Wielder of _____
Good luck,
Irvin
"Okay," I said. "Let's do this."
I thought about everything Vesta and I had been through together. Through war and times of trouble, and every time, we were there for each other. We owed each other our lives. She made up part of my soul; there was no way that I would let her fall to Vadrak. I thought about the hate I felt toward him. He had killed my parents, he had killed many of my friends and their families. He was a dsetroying menace.
I blocked everything else out. All I thought about was my friendship with Vesta and my hatred of Vadrak. I looked at Vesta in the flames, and she nodded.
"I, Aden son of Sergius, Wielder of Fire, do hereby give the power to resist Mark Navik Giad, son of Henry, to Vesta daughter of Julius, Wielder of Fire."
There was a glow in the flames around Vesta. She was no longer in her physical, human-like form. She had become a beautiful, glowing flame. I could feel her aura of power surround me. She lifted me off my feet and bounced me on her flames. I morphed into flames myself, and we chased each other around the power house. This went on for an hour at least. We stayed in our fiery form and danced and played and jumped around the power house.
We slowly morphed back into our physical, human-like form. We were both still wearing traditional hecapsycheir robes, but they were both glowing, as though our renewed spirit of hope had excited the robes enough to glow.
Suddenly, Vesta threw her arms around me. I was shocked. The embrace lasted only a couple of seconds before she quickly backed away.
"Sorry," she said. "Thank you for the power."
"I understand," I said. "It worked then."
"Of course," Vesta said.
We walked out of the power house together and through the fire section. I didn't really know what to think about the hug. I have told you before that it was the third stage of hecapsycheir love, but Vesta and I were not a pair. I loved her more than I did Jessica, but I wasn't exactly sure what my feelings were for her. I didn't have time to think much about it because we had grabbed each other's arms to teleport back to the park and the treehouse.
When we got to the park, we didn't see any of my brothers or their partners for the transfer. We walked to the tree house and climbed up, and found Irvin and Izumi siting on a couch. When they saw us, they jumped to their feet to ask if the transfer had been a success.
"It was a success," Vesta said. "Thank you, Irvin, for telling us how to transfer the protection, and thank you, Aden, for giving me part of your power."
"You're are mistaken there, Vesta," Irvin said. "Aden didn't give you part of his power. He gave you almost all the power he had, but that power will re-strengthen itself. By now, Aden, you should already be a 'fully charged battery' as it were."
"Wait," Vesta said. "Is the power that Aden gave me all I have? Will I not be able to regenerate the power of the 'fully charged battery'?"
"The power will never leave you, but it won't regenerate as fast as it would in Aden," Irvin replied.
"Is anyone else back?" I asked.
"No, not yet," Izumi replied.
"What do we do while we wait?" Vesta asked.
"Irvin and I have just been talking."
"May we join your conversation?" I asked.
"Of course," Irvin said. "Sit down."
"Vesta and I sat in adjacent chairs with Irvin and Izumi opposite us on one of the couches."
"What were you discussing?" I asked.
"We were thinking about everything that is to come," Izumi said.
"We know that Vadrak is using some sort of psychological power to manipulate the Elders," Irvin started.
Just then, Demetrio and Gina entered the treehouse.
"Hello," I said.
"Was it a success?" Izumi asked eagerly.
"In the end," Gina said. "It took us a couple of tries to actually transfer the power. I never felt the transfer or anything the first two times, but I now have the power thanks to Demetrio."
"Great, come sit down," Irvin said.
"I saw Timur and Aurelia, just as we were climbing up to the treehouse," Demetrio said. "They'll probably wait fifteen minutes and then join us."
"If everyone's almost here, we can probably start planning," Irvin said.
"No," Demetrio said. "Not until everyone is here. I know that if I were left out of this conversation, I would be angry. I wouldn't mind if we discussed what we know, but no plans. I would hate to have to be filled in."
Twenty minutes later, the ten of us were seated comfortably in the treehouse sitting room.
"I think we should put everything we know together and then think about what we can do to stop Vadrak," Vesta said.
"That's a good idea," I agreed. "We know that Vadrak uses some sort of power to control the Elders, the female mortals' boyfriends, and more hecapsycheires, maybe even some of his Heinous Knights."
"We also know that he wants to build this new dimension with help from the Elders and the Master of the Elements," Vesta added.
"What about your theory, Irvin? The part about Vadrak wanting to rule over humans so he kicks us off this dimension but keeps the Master of the Elements so he can be an acolyte to the master," Izumi said.
"Yes, that is what I thought before. I'm not sure I still stand by it, but I haven't thought of anything else, not yet at any rate," Irvin replied.
"The main problem is that travel between dimensions is dangerous, right?" Gina asked.
"That's correct, but anything Vadrak does means trouble," Irvin said.
"Wait, but how do we know that travel through dimensions is dangerous? Only other hecapsycheires have told us that, and none of them actually went through a portal and came back to tell us what a mistake it is to travel through the portal," Demetrio said.
"Demetrio, in a way, you're right, we don't know for sure, but would you be willing to bet your life on it?" Irvin asked.
"I guess not, but still, it's somewhat suspicious."
"What is there to do exactly?" Hearst asked. "We don't know how to stop Vadrak even though we know what he's doing. We can stop ourselves from leaving this dimension and being forced into a new one, but we know that it will be difficult to transfer the power to anyone else anytime soon, much less figure out how to stop Vadrak entirely."
"There's always confronting Vadrak in battle," Tamara pointed out.
"But that would lead to the deaths of many more hecapsycheires," Aurelia said.
"Everyone?" Timur said in a worried voice. "I think you should see this."
"What is it?" I asked.
"J-just come and see," Timur stammered.
We all joined him at the window. The park was a sea of hecapsycheires. Hundreds were all walking out of the park as if they were an army in a trance.
"What is this?" Demetrio asked. "What's happening?"
I turned to Irvin who looked very pale and extremely sick.
"Irvin," I said. "Why is everyone leaving the park in some sort of trance?"
"They're following Vadrak's command," Irvin said with great emotion. "We're too late. It's begun."
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